Car-coupling.



A. J. BAZBLEY.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.10, 1910.

1,1965% Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. J. BAZELEY.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION TILED AUG. 10, 1910.

1,128,@5%, Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I L i I b I 7 i INVENTOR A. J. BAZELEY.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1910. 1 12,652. Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

s SHEET$ SHEET 3' WITNESSES INVE WWW 1: ED STATES PATENT orrion.

ARTHUR J. BAZELEY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, AS$IGNTOR TO THE NATIQNAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS GOMPANY,'OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, .A.=CORPOB;ATION .OF OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1 915.

Application filed August 10, 1910. Serial No. 578,549.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. BAZELEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State ofOhio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers, of WhlOll the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a sectional plan vlew of a coupler constructed in accordance with my invention showing the parts in locked position; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same; Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of the knuckle-throwing lever; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the bottom-operating lever; Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged side elevations of the locking block; Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are longitudinal vertical sections showing the parts in locked, in lockset and in knucklethrown position, respectively, and Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are cross sectional views corresponding, respectively, to Figs. 8, 9 and 10, Fig. 11 showing the locked position, Fig. 12 the lockset position, and Fig. 13 the knuckle-thrown position. Fig. 14: shows a detail section on line XX of Fig. 2.

My invention relates to car couplers of the type set forth in my copending application No. 539,258, filed January 21st, 1910.

The object of the present invention is to improve the actionof my coupler described in said application, the main feature being thelifting of the look through a part of its movement by the operating lever itself, so that the lock need not be lifted by the knuckle tail when the tail is thrown open. The tail is provided with a raised surface, which holds the. lock in proper position to drop to its seat when the knuckle is closed, and this raised portion also releases the lockset when'the lock is raised to lockset position and the knuckle is pulled open. As in my previous case, the knuckle-throwing lever acts as a lockset, and also a lock to the look, but inthe presentform is at least partially released from its lifting of the look, its function being partially transferred to the operating lever.

A further feature lies in shaping the knuckle-throwing lever with an abruptly rounding cam surface, on which the operating lever will roll with less friction and without the rapid change of leverage present in the former device. This renders the knuckle-throwing -movement easier and more positive.

In the drawings 2 represents the head of the coupler, and 3 the'knuckle. The knuckle tail 4 is provided with an angular bearing surface 5 for the locking block 6. This bearing surface extends at an angle to the line of draftand fits the correspondingly inclined face of :the locking block. The tail is also provided upon its opposite side with an angularsprojection 7, which enters a correspondingly shaped recess 8, in the wall of the=coupler head, and has a forwardly inclined face 9, fitting the correspondingly inclined face of the coupler head recess, so as to draw against it, when in closed position. These engaging parts are preferably inclinedat an angle of 45 to the line of draft. Thefaces 9 and 5 diverge rearwardly. The tail is also preferably provided with a horn 10, which projects through a side hole in the coupler head. The faces 5 and 9 preferably extend vertically. The pivot pin hole in the hub of the-knuckle is preferably provided with suflicient clearance to give freedom for the knuckle in its opening and closing movements, and to allow the strain of draft to comeprimarily on the tail faces 5 and 9, and relieve the strain on the pin. The widening of the bearing faces of the tail toward the rear end adds strength thereto, increasingthe bearing surface.

The locking block 6 is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. It is of the single, vertical pin type, with its front portion cut away as shown at ll to allow passage of the knuckle tail when lifted. This cutting away leaves a shoulder 12 which rests upon the elevated top face of the horn :portion 10 when the knuckle is open. The upper portion of the locking block is also provided with the recess 13 preferably having a vertically inclined face 13 which bears on a vertically inclined face on the knuckle tail. This gives a rearward wedging action on the tail to cause the face 9 to engage the recess -in the-head and provides an initial tight fit for these parts. The lower portion of the looking block is provided with a cam recess 15 within which the lug 16 of the knucklethrowing lever 17 operates. This knuckle- .throwing lever 17 is shown in Figs. 3 and 4:,

and is loosely mounted on an axle 18, which is driven horizontally inward through a hole in the lower side portion of the coupler in the position shown in Figs. 1 and It is held in this position by any suitable means such as a cotter pin, which may be driven down through a vertical hole in the floor of the coupler cavity beyond the outer end of the pin when driven home. This knuckle-throwing lever 17 is provided w1th an upwardly extending push port1on 20 which engages the rear curved face 21 of the knuckle tail 4,to push the knuckle open after unlocking. The knuckle-throwlng lever, in addition to throwing the knuckle, performs the functions of li ting the look through a portion of its movement and also cotiperates with the lock to act as a lock-tothe-lock or anti-creeping device, and also as a lockset. The lock-tothe-lock function results from the coaction of an angular shoulder 31 of the lug 16 with the lower shoulder 23 below the recess 15 of the lock ing block. When the parts are in normal locked position, any accidental upward tion 32 of the lug 16 into engagement withthe shoulder 22, formin part of the upper wallof the recess 15, of the locking ,block, which recess is enlarged forwardly, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This brings the parts into lockset position, the knucklethrowing lever then propping up'the lock in a position where the knuckle can be pulled open.

In my present form I provide a bottomoperating lever 25, which is pivoted between engagement.

lugs 26 depending below the pivot pin hole, the hub of the lever thus also acting as a pivot pin support in case of breakage. At'

its bend the lever is provided with a hole or eye 27 to receive the uncoupling lever of any desirable form. The upwardly curved inner portion 25 of the uncoupling lever abuts against the lower outer portion of the knuckle-throwing lever 17 to lift it; and below this upper end this curved arm of the lever is provided with a side extension or lug 28, which is arranged to act directly upon the lower end of the locking block 6. In the firstu'pward movement of the lever 25, it lifts the lever 17 off its lock to the lock Immediately after this the side projecting lug 28 on the lever 25 comes in'contact with the bottom of the lock and lifts the lock directly. As the contact point between the lever 25 and the lever 17, however, slides inwardly closer to the pivot pin of the lever 17 in the continued movement, the rotation of the lever 17 is accelerated so that the lug 16 overtakes the upward movement of the lock, and for a short distance itself serves to lift the lock, while it in turn, is lifted by the bottom-actuating lever 25. When the lock, however, has risen so that its shoulder 1,2 clears the tail of the knuckle and allows the latter to open, in the further actuation of the lock, the lug 28 of the lifting leverwill a ain assume its lifting functi n and raise t e lock entirely clear of the uckle-tail, As soon asthe opening 'movement is complete, the lever 25 is dropped back to its normal position. At the'same time, the knuckle-throwing member 17 will drop back to the new position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 10, resting on the bottom of the recess in the depending leg of the lock. This is an important feature, since after the completion of the knuckle-throwing, the member 17 swin s back to such a position that its lug 16 w1ll not engage the ledge 22. If this engagement between the In should take placeat t is time, the lockset position might occur and act to hold the lock in elevated position, and to retain it there even after it was no longer supported by the knuckle-tail when the knuckle was again closed. It will be understood that during the normal operation of the parts wherein the lock is lifted and the knuckle thrown .by the external actuation of the lever- 25, the knuckle does not at any time assist in lifting the lock. Even at the completion of the knuckle-throwing movement, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 10, the lock is lifted clear of the knuckle tail and is wholly supported on the lug 28. However, as soon as the lifting force is removed from the lever 25, it will'drop back and allow the lock to settle by a slight amount until it rests upon the raised portion of the knuckle tail and remains there until the latter is closed. It will be obvious, therefore, that the lock is allowed to offer no obstruction to the pivotal throw of the knuckle during the normal I knuckle-throwing movement, since it is lifted entirely clear of and is supported independently of said tail until the throwing of the knuckle is completed. When the lock is lockset ,and the knuckle is pulled upon by hand or by thekhuckle of an opposing car, however, then the lock is lifted and released from lockset position by the raised portion of the knuckle tail and remains supported thereon until the knuckle is agaln closed. The raised portion of the tail also acts to release the lockset when the knuckle is pulled open after locksetting. In this pulling open of the knuckle, its tail lifts the lock 6 slightly and allows the knucklethrowing lever 17 to free itself from the lockset shelf and drop downwardly into the position shown .in dotted lines in Fig. 10 so that when the knuckle is again closed, it

16 and ledge 22 ma ses will not remain supported on *the 'lockset,.

assisting in the. knuckle-throwing action.

Inorder 't0-lii1"iit the downward movement of the operating lever I preferably provi de it with a side projection or lip 29, which when the parts are assembled is above an inwardly projecting lip on one of the hinge lugs of the lever.

The advantages of my present invention lie in so shaping the parts that the bottomoperating lever will itself directly lift the locking block during at least a portion'ofits upward travel. This does away with the friction incident to lifting the lock by the knuckle-tail in opening, in which case rough surfaces might retard the opening movement. As the lock is now held entirely clear of even the raised portion of the knuckle tail until the knuckle has been entirely thrown open by the lever 17, the knuckle is permitted an easy rotation unhindered by any rubbing or frictional contact. At the same time the knuckle tail serves to hold up the lock in proper raised position when the operating lever is released, and until the knuckle is closed. This raised portion of the tail also serves to lift the lock off the lockset shelf when the knuckle is pulled open, at which time the frictional rubbing action is not material, as the knuckle is pulled open by the pulling a art of the cars. The abrupt cam surface 0 the lever 17 reduces friction between it and the operating lever, and gives a more efiicient and easier action in knuckle-throwing.

I claim 1. A coupler having a knuckle, a vertically-movable locking device, a knucklethrowing lever pivoted within the coupler and adapted to engage the locking device, an operating lever pivoted at the bottom of the coupler arranged to engage and actuate the knuckle-throwing lever, and a lug on said operating lever adapted to directly lift the lock during at least a portion of the move ment of the operating lever.

2. A coupler having a knuckle, a vertically movable locking block, a knuckle throwing lever pivoted Within the coupler and arranged to assist in actuating the looking block, and an operating lever pivoted at the bottom of the coupler, said lever having a part adapted to move the knuckle.

throwing lever and a part adapted to directly lift the locking block for a portion of its upward movement.

3. A coupler having a knuckle, a verti cally movable locking device, a knucklethrowing lever pivoted within the coupler and arranged toengage the locking device, an operating lever p'ivoted at the bottom of the coupler adapted to engage and actuate the knuckle-throw'ing lever, and a lug on said operating lever adapted to directly lift the locking device above the uppermost surface of the knuckle tail during knuckle throwing.

'4. A coupler having a knuckle, a verticallymovabl'e locking device, a lock-set lever pivoted within the coupler arranged to engage the locking device when said locking device is in lock-set position, and an operating lever pivoted at the bottom of the coupler having a part adapted to actuate the lock-set lever and a part adapted to directly lift the "locking device into lock-set position.

5. A coupler having a knuckle, a vertically movable locking device, a lever pivoted within the coupler adapted to throw the knuckle and also adapted to engage the locking device when said locking device is in lock-set position, and an operating lever pivoted at the bottom of the coupler having a part adaptedto actuate the first mentioned lever and a part adapted to directly lift the locking device.

6. A coupler having a swinging knuckle, a vertically movable locking block, a knuckle throwing lever pivoted on a fixed pivot within the coupler, a side lug on said lever adapted to assist in lifting the locking block, and a bottom operating element arranged to actuate directly the knuckle throwing lever and also to act directly upon the lock to lift it through a part of its movement.

7. In a coupler, a swinging knuckle, a V6I' tically movable locking block and a pair of coacting levers arranged to successively engage the locking block, one lever being adapted to lift the locking block through one portion of its movement and the other lever being adapted to lift it through another portion.

8. In a coupler, a swinging knuckle, a vertically-movable lock, and a pair of co-acting levers pivoted to swing in a vertical plane, one of said levers being adapted to engage and lift the lock during one portion of its movement, and to engage and throw the knuckle during another portion of its move ment, the other of said levers being adapted to engage the first-named lever while said lever is lifting thelock, and to engage and liftsaid lock when the first-named lever is throwingthe knuckle.

9. In a coupler, a swinging knuckle, a vertically-movable lock, a knuckle-throwing lever having a projection engaging one portion of the lock to act as a lock-to-the-lock, the said projection engaging another portion of the lock to hold it in lock-set position, a

raised portion on the knuckle-tail adapted to release the look from lock-set position,

' throwing lever pivoted upon a fixed pivot within the coupler and adapted to co-act with the locking block to prevent the looking block from creepin when the knuckle is m locked position, an a bottom-operating lever arranged to engage both the locking block and the knuckle-throwing lever thereby releasing the lock and %throwing the knuckle.

11. A coupler having a knuckle, a vertically movable locking block, a knuckle throwing lever pivoted'within the'cou ler and adapted to coact with the locking b ock to hold the locking block in locked position when the knuckle 1s closed, and a lever pivoted at the bottom of the coupler having a 7 ARTHUR J. BAZELEY.

, Witnesses:

HARRY E. omi,

F. W. SWENSTON. 

